Legislative Priorities for the YWCA
YWCA-Monterey County legislative priorities are part of YWCA national based in Washington DC.
Our DC branch is home to the politically motivated piece of the organization and we look to the YUSA branch to create and push the legislative priorities that drive the YWCA as a whole. We want to take the opportunity to let you know our legislative priorities, the first being of the utmost importance.
Today we know that one in three women will experience domestic violence and more than three women are murdered by their partners each day. Domestic violence occurs across all races, ages, incomes, and ethnic backgrounds with disproportionate impacts for women of color and other marginalized communities. It’s time we took a stand to end these systemic acts and support survivors of gender-based violence. -YWCA
1. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (VAWA) (S. 2843) is critical and lifesaving legislation that maintains safety protections important to all survivors, particularly women of color and other marginalized communities. This bill also makes modest, but vital, improvements to provide the resources critical to supporting all survivors and their needs.
VAWA passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support and now it’s time for the Senate to act. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act would specifically:
Enhances judicial and law enforcement tools, through reauthorization of the STOP grants and expansion of permissible use of grants;
Improves services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking;
Provides services, protection, and justice for young victims of violence;
Expands grants under the Public Health Service Act to support implementation of training programs to improve the capacity of early childhood programs to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking among the families they serve;
Preserves and expands housing protections for survivors;
Provides economic security assistance for survivors by reauthorizing the National Resource Center on Workplace Responses, protecting employees from being fired because they are survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence, and protecting survivors’ eligibility to receive Unemployment Insurance;
Helps prevent “intimate partner” homicides;
Helps protect Native American women, by including provisions to improve the response to missing and murdered Native American women, improving tribal access to federal crime information databases, and reaffirming tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators of violence and assault;
The Act has since expired and was voted to reauthorize yet the gridlock in Washington has stalled the act. We are pushing to reauthorize and hope you will take a stand and force the Senate to vote regardless of your political affiliation.
2. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is a United States law, first authorized as part of the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 (PL 98–457), that provides federal funding to help victims of domestic violence and their dependent children by providing shelter and related help, offering violence prevention programs, and improving how service agencies work together in communities.
The 24-hour, confidential, toll-free National Domestic Violence Hotline provides support, information, referrals, safety planning, and crisis intervention in more than 170 languages to hundreds of thousands of domestic violence victims each year.
The Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program teaches people ways to prevent violence.
Formula Grants. This money helps states, territories, and tribes create and support programs that work to help victims and prevent family violence. The amount of money is determined by a formula based partly on population. The states, territories, and tribes distribute the money to thousands of domestic violence shelters and programs. (Wikipedia)
3. Advance opportunities to promote and support economic security for survivors of gender-based violence
4. Pass the End Racial (and Religious) Profiling Act (ERRPA) and advance other opportunities to end the criminalization of people of color
This bill prohibits racial profiling by a federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency or agent. The term "racial profiling" includes the practice of relying on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identify, or sexual orientation in making a routine or spontaneous law enforcement decision. The Department of Justice (DOJ), or an individual injured by racial profiling, may bring a civil action to enforce the prohibition. The bill requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training on racial profiling issues, the collection of data, and procedures for handling complaints. Additionally, a state or unit of local government that receives grant funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program or Community Oriented Policing Services program must maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training on racial profiling issues, the collection of data, and participation in an administrative complaint procedure or independent audit program. DOJ must withhold or reduce grant funds from a state or unit of local government that fails to comply. The bill authorizes grants to develop and implement: (1) programs to collect data on the percentage of stops and searches in which a law enforcement officer finds drugs, a gun, or something else that leads to an arrest; and (2) best practice devices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. DOJ must report annually on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies. (Congress.gov)
5. Support trauma-informed care for children and families exposed to violence and abuse
6. Secure federal funding to support the workforce development, gender-based violence, STEM, child care, and housing work of YWCAs
If these initiatives fall in line with your values, please consider a donation. Your donation will directly affect those affected by Domestic Violence. We have made so much progress, lets keep moving forward.
